One of the most difficult decisions a company can make is how to market its products on sustainability values. Overemphasis on ethical & ecological credentials can lead to detailed corporate scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing. At the same time, not responding to consumer demand for sustainable products can lead to product withdrawal and business failure. […]

Shiseido has made a dramatic entry into the natural cosmetics market by acquiring Bare Escentuals, an American producer of mineral cosmetics. In a deal worth US $1.7 billion, it is the Japanese cosmetic firm’s biggest acquisition and the largest deal in the natural cosmetics industry. Bare Escentuals is being bought for $18.20 a share, a 41 […]

A growing number of Asian natural cosmetic companies are adopting natural & organic cosmetic standards to differentiate their products from competing ones. New research by Organic Monitor finds a growing number of Asian companies are taking the certification route, with most opting for European standards. The Ecocert standard is the most widely adopted, with companies […]

The final version of the Cosmos standard has recently been announced. The launch comes after six years of negotiations between the leading natural & organic cosmetic certification agencies in Europe: BDiH (Germany), Soil Association (UK), Ecocert (France), Cosmebio (France), ICEA (Italy) and Ecogarantie (Belgium). Combined, these agencies provide certification to about 1,000 cosmetic companies and […]

The economic slowdown is impacting global organic food sales. After reporting high growth rates for over a decade, 2009 could be the first year of single-digit market growth. Growth in the global organic food market is slowing because of the financial crisis. Demand has been affected by the reduction in consumer spending power and declining […]